Okay, I don't know what is wrong with my computer, but there might be some formatting problems with this. Anyways if you really have trouble reading it, let me know.

The Girl With the Pink Highlights
Chapter One

Justin sat in the plane. He shifted in his seat. Even though they were traveling first class, Justin still had trouble getting comfortable in his seat. He looked out the small window at the passing clouds, just wishing the plane would land. He looked over at the body clumped next to him. JC was fast asleep in the seat next to him. Justin shook his head, wondering how JC could sleep in these stupid seats.

“You can’t do that!”

Chris and Joey were sitting behind him.

“What are you two doing?” Justin asked, undoing his seat belt so he could turn around to see them better.

“I don’t know,” Joey said. “Chris is making up the rules as he goes.”

“I am not!” Chris exclaimed. “You just can’t pick up that one. That’s not how you play Crazy Bones.”

“Crazy Bones?” Justin questioned.

Joey held up a small plastic thing. Justin took it and looked it over. It was purple and shaped in some sort of animal or person. He turned it over in his hand and saw it had a number twenty on the back.

“Where’d you get these, Chris?” Justin asked.

“At some toy store in the Chicago area,” Chris said, taking the toy from Justin.

Justin looked down at the other colored plastic things Chris and Joey had on their trays.

“How do you play?” Justin asked.

Chris launched into his complicated explanation.

“Okay, first you pick up the ones you are dealt. Then you toss them out like this,” Chris said, tossing the toys out of his hands. “Now, if they land up it’s two points, on their sides it is one point and if they land flat you get no points. Or you can play it like jacks, but with no ball, just a Crazy Bone.”

Chris demonstrated this. Joey sat next to him looking confused.

“That’s what I was trying to do, but you said that I couldn’t do that!” Joey exclaimed.

“Will you guys be quiet? We only have maybe an hour left before we land. Can you control yourselves that long?” Lance asked.

Justin slowly turned his curly head over in the direction of Lance’s voice. Lance rolled his eyes and turned back to the girl who was in the seat next to him. She had dark brown hair. She was a pretty girl, but the ends of her hair were hot pink. It was like her hair had grown out, but it looked like it was done on purpose. She turned so Justin could see her face.

“Chris,” Joey hissed.

Justin rolled his eyes again and slid back down into his seat. He only had an hour left till he could get out of this seat.

“Stupid JC,” Justin mumbled under his breath, looking over at JC. “That’s why I can’t get out of this seat.”

“You’re the one who wanted the window seat because I always fall asleep,” JC said.

Justin looked over at him. JC was in the same position he had been before and he still was asleep. Justin shook his head.

“You did not just say that,” Justin said.

“Yes I did,” JC said. Justin let out a yelp.

Chris and Joey’s head appeared over the seat behind him.

“What’s going on Curly?” Joey asked.

“JC’s sleep talkn’,” Justin explained, backing away from JC as best he could.

“Huh? How can he be sleep talkn’,” Chris asked.

“He told me that I made a fuss to sit by the window,” Justin said.

“You did,” JC said.

Chris and Joey now both jumped. Justin could hear plastic clank on the trays behind him. Chris and Joey had knocked over their Crazy Bones.

“He did not just do that,” Joey said, getting out of his seat to study JC face. “His eyes are still closed.”

“Maybe he’s not asleep,” Lance suggested, with a laugh.

Justin looked over at Lance. He and the girl next to him were trying to hide their smiles. Justin looked back down. Chris and Joey were both studying JC.

“Say something again, JC,” Chris told the body. It did nothing. “Maybe we’re just hearing things.”

“No you’re not,” JC said.

Joey fell over in the aisle. Chris’s eyes got really big. They both scrambled back into their seats.

“Let’s wake him up,” Justin suggested.

Lance and the girl began laughing again. Justin looked over at them. As the girl laughed, he realized that girl looked really familiar. He just couldn’t place her.

“I am up,” JC said, sitting up.

Justin fell back down into his seat. Joey and Chris began to pick up their bone toys., acting like they had not been freaked out.

“That was mean,” Justin said, giving JC an evil eye.

“Justin, don’t do that. You don’t look right,” JC said, running his fingers through his hair.

“Well, get up,” Justin ordered. “I’ve been sitting since you fell asleep fifteen minute into this flight.”

JC stood up and let Justin pass. Justin got out into the aisle and looked around. Lance stood up and walked up to him.

“I gotta talk to JC. Go sit in my seat,” Lance said, passing Justin.

“But, I just stood up!”

Lance didn’t say anything. Justin groaned as a flight attendant appeared. He walked over to Lance’s seat and sat down.

“I’m Alicia,” the girl with pink hair said. Justin took a closer look at her.

“Justin. Do I know you from somewhere?” Justin asked.

“I don’t know. I’m from Tennessee,” the girl said.

Justin nodded. That made sense. She had a Tennessee accent.

“Where from in Tennessee?”

“Memphis.”

“Oh, maybe I saw you in town,” Justin said.

The girl let a smile grow across her face. “You could say that.”

“Why? I didn’t?” Justin asked, getting more confused with each word the girl said.

New Part as of 4/00

“We went to school together. We were in the same class till you went off to become a star,” Alicia said.

“Oh, Alicia Drannon of the Memphis Drannons,” Justin said, remembering the little rich girl who had sat next to him. “Teachers always put us next to another.”

Alicia shrugged. “I just remember you were always in trouble and I was a good little girl.”

Justin gave her a look. She had always fascinated him. Her family was the richest family in town, yet she didn’t have many friends. And he could never figure out why she went to public school. All the rich families in town set their children to private school. Alicia had never even set foot in a private school. She was so quiet. She got straight A’s. She was so pretty, yet there was something about her that made her seem sad.

“Well, how have you been?” Justin asked.

“Oh, I finished jr. high. They made me give some speech because I had the best grades. Then I went to high school,” Alicia said, rolling her eyes.

“How was it? I never went,” Justin blurted out.

Alicia smiled and slowly shook her head so her pink ends flew around slowly.

“I hated it. No one really wanted to talk to me. I was too smart for them. All the girls hated me because I was prettier than them and had more money to buy all those clothes. But what made it really bad was you weren’t there. After you left, I had almost no one would talk to me,” Alicia said.

“But what happened to that best friend of yours? Liz or something like that,” Justin said.

“Her parents pulled her out about a year after you left. She wanted to go too.”

Justin looked at her. She just shrugged again.

“Graduated valedictorian and had to give another speech. Now I’m going to college,” Alicia said. “Not in France though.”

Justin was about to ask if she was going to school in France. He shut his mouth. He thought a moment, remembering that you had to ask Alicia questions to get her to talk.

“Then where are you going?” Justin asked.

“Mary Washington College,” Alicia told him.

“Isn’t that hard to get into?” Justin asked. “And you only went to public school.”

“Money. It’s all about the money.”

Justin nodded. Lance walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. Justin lifted his curly head up.

“What?”

“You can go back to your seat. We’re getting ready to land,” Lance explained.

“What if I don’t want to?” Justin challenged.

“Justin, don’t go causing trouble. How old are we?” Alicia asked. Justin turned and looked at her. She had a playful smile on her face and was looking right at him. He got up. Of all the years he had sat next to her, he never remembered her looking right at him when she talked to him.

Justin walked back and climbed back over JC.

“How can you go back to sleep?” Justin mumbled. He fell in to his seat and waited for JC to answer. JC never answered. Justin shrugged and put his seat belt back on. He watched out the window as the plane came out of the clouds and descended to the city of Paris. He pulled himself up a bit and looked back at Lance and Alicia. Alicia’s mouth was moving a mile a minute. Justin sunk back into his seat a bit confused. Alicia never really talked. Well, he really didn’t know her out of school and she could be one of those girls with a different personality away from school.

Chapter Two

Justin sat down on his balcony. He could hear the din of screaming fans down below. He sat so they could not see him. He wanted to enjoy the view. It was a gorgeous day. The sky was that perfect blue. Just like Alicia’s eyes. Justin smacked himself in the head. Why couldn’t he get her out of his head. Her beautiful face, her dark hair with those hot pink ends, and her deep blue eyes burned in his mind.

“Bounce,” JC said to Justin as he walked out, “why are you smacking yourself?”

Justin lifted his head up and looked at JC.

“Look who’s up?” Justin mused. JC had gone right back to sleep when they reached to hotel. They had an hour to kill before they had to be anywhere so JC went to sleep.

“Shut up. At least I sleep. I don’t have bags under my eyes,” JC said, sitting in the other seat on the balcony.

“Hey, I get enough sleep,” Justin shot back.

“Fine. If you think six hours is enough…” JC trailed off. “So, why were you hitting yourself. It won’t flatten your hair.”

“JC,” Justin moaned and got up.

“What? Was it something I said?” JC called after Justin.

Justin walked out the door, letting it slam behind him. He walked over to Lance’s room and pounded on the door.

“Yes?” Lance asked.

“JC is nuts,” Justin said.

“And why might that be?” Lance asked.

“He sleeps and sleeps and then gives me a hard time because I’ve got great hair,” Justin announced.

“You hate your hair,” Lance pointed out.

“Shut up,” Justin said, walking into the room.

“My, my, aren’t we in a bad mood,” Lance noted as Justin fell onto the bed.

“Who was that girl you were talking to on the plane?” Justin asked.

Lance walked over to the chair next to the window and sat down. He went back to reading the Time magazine.

“You sat next to her. Did she tell you her name?”

“Yeah. But you talked to her longer than five minutes,” Justin said, sitting up.

“She was nice. Traded history with each other,” Lance said, as he flipped a page.

“Well, what’s her history?” Justin pushed.

“You went to school with her,” Lance said.

“Yeah, and she never talked.”

Lance looked up at him like he was nuts. Justin gave him his what look.

“Justin, that girl talks and talks like she will never stop,” Lance said. “I don’t believe her to be the kind of girl who would not talk.”

“That’s why I want to know all what she told you,” Justin urged.

“She just said she really didn’t like school because all the people there were superficial and dumb. And then there was you,” Lance said.

Justin leaned forward. “And there was me?”

“Well, you talked to her and talked, and talked. You were like the only nice kid in the school, next to her friend Alyssa.”

“That was it Alicia and Alyssa,” Justin said, remembering the two of them sitting in a corner of the playground.

Lance began laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Justin asked. He walked over to look at what Lance was reading. It was an article on the Middle East. “What’s so funny about that?”

“Nothing, Justin. I was remembering how you would bug them when they were on the playground,” Lance said.

Justin thought a moment then remembered. “Oh, yeah.”

“Is that all the questions?” Lance asked.

“I guess.”

“Good, because we’ve got to be at the press conference in the Plaza in like ten minutes. Go tell the others,” Lance said.

Justin shook his head and walked out the door. He still couldn’t get the smiling image out of his mind. Lance hadn’t really helped all that much. He had made Justin realize that he really needed to find Alicia again. He’d have a longer talk with her and find more out about her.

“Chris! Joey!” Justin called, banging on the door. “Let’s go!”

The door flew open. Chris stood there with shaving cream in his hair and those Crazy Bones stuck in it. Justin let himself laugh as loud as he could.

“What?” Chris asked. “What are you laughing at.”

“Nothing, Chris,” Joey said. “Let’s just leave him be. JC most likely did something to him.”

Justin watched Chris and Joey walk down the hall. He stumbled over to JC’s door and banged it. He couldn’t stop laughing. He couldn’t believe that Joey had come up with something like that. He’d have to ask Joey later how he had done that.

“Oh, so you’re back for more?” JC asked, snapping Justin out of his little world.

“No. I’m here to inform you that you need to get your butt going so we can go to the press conference. Also, don’t laugh at Chris’s hair. He’s trying something new,” Justin said.

JC looked confused and stepped out of the room. Lance came out and Justin ran over to him. He told him the exact same thing he had just told JC. Lance shrugged and started for the elevator.

“Why are all these people looking at me funny?” Chris asked. “I’ve got normal hair now.”

JC, Lance, and Justin stepped out of the elevator into the lobby. Chris and Joey were standing with the body guards, who had smirks on their faces. JC and Lance looked at one another.

“That’s what I was talkn’ about,” Justin said.

“He really didn’t want to wear his hair like that did he?” Lance asked.

“No, Joey just did it. Most likely because of the game of Crazy Bones,” Justin said.

“Crazy what?” JC asked.

“JC! Is there something wrong with my hair right? I don’t want to touch it. I worked hard on it before I went down for a nap,” Chris explained.

JC shook his head as their manager came into the lobby, rolled his eyes and hurried the boys out into the limo.

“Joey! What did you do to my hair!” Chris yelled when he saw his reflection in the shining car. “Johnny, you gotta let me go back and wash it!”

“No, way. You guys are already late,” Johnny said, pushing Chris into the car. “The fans will love it.”

Chris began to whine. “Joey I’m gonna kill you. You know this will be all over.”

“Duh! That’s why I did it.”

“That was pretty mean,” Lance said.

“Yeah, but it was funny,” Joey said.

“True,” JC said, as he got control of his laughter.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Justin pulled his hat on tighter as he walked down the street. His sunglasses were the darkest ones he could find. Somewhere around here was his bodyguard. At the moment all he cared about was finding somewhere quiet to eat. By himself. As he walked down a narrow street he spotted her. He only saw the back of her head, but the pink ends lit up in the sun. Justin picked up his pace and hurried over to her. Right before he reached her he slowed, crossed the street, then walked a bit farther. He then crossed back and walked back towards her. He had been right. Alicia was sitting at a table by herself reading a paper. Justin walked up to her.

“Excuse me, madam,” Justin said in his best French accent.

He watched her lift her dark head. When she saw him she peered up at him.

“Yes?”

“Don’t know me?” Justin asked, pulling down his sunglasses.

“Oh, Justin! I didn’t recognize you. Why don’t you come sit down,” Alicia invited.

“Don’t mind if I do,” Justin said sitting, down.

New Part as of 5/00

Justin watched Alicia smile. She had the prettiest smile he had ever seen on a girl.
"So what have you been up to in Paris?" Justin asked.
"Forgetting the world," Alicia answered.
"Huh? Why would you want to forget this wonderful world. This quiet street without any screaming, this wonderful little café," Justin said with gusto. Alicia just chuckled. "What?"
"You just live in a better world than I," Alicia said.
Justin furrowed his brows. How could she say that? She could have anything she wanted. She could go where ever she wanted. How could he live in a better world?
"Oh, you do, Justin," Alicia said, reading his mind. "People like you for who you are. Not your money. Well, maybe not now, but when we were little."
Alicia looked back down at her paper. Justin reached up to run his hand through his hair only to find he’d have to take off his hat to do that. He knew if he did that he would no longer have the peace he had now sitting with Alicia. He sighed.
"What about now? I can’t go anywhere without a disguise. You can at least walk the streets in peace," Justin pointed out.
"Are you saying you don’t like what you are doing?"
"No. I just wanted you to see…"
"Justin," Alicia interrupted, "Don’t even try. You have four friends with you that are going through the same thing, right?"
Justin realized what she was getting at. She was the rich girl in school. She had money, she was picked up everyday in a limo, and she always had the best birthday treats. No one else knew what she had.
"Okay, I see your point. But, when I meet new people I’m not sure if they like me because I’m Justin Timberlake or because I’m Justin Timberlake of ‘N Sync. You see my point?" Justin asked, leaning forward.
Alicia looked up from her paper and met his eyes.
He continued. "People liked you because you had money or they snubbed you for the same reason. People like me because I’m part of ‘N Sync."
Alicia shook her head. "It’s nice talking to you, but I …"
Justin grabbed her hand before she could get up. She looked down on him in shock. Justin tightened his grip on her so she couldn’t go anywhere.
"Alicia, this may sound funny, but I gotta see you again."
"Huh? Aren’t you a busy pop star?"
"Well, yes, but we’ll be here for a couple of days. It’d be easier if I knew where you were staying, you know, the mob in front of my place," Justin said to get a laugh out of her. He did.
"Okay, but that’ll be hard, seeing I’m staying in the same place as you."
Alicia took his hand off hers and stood up. She began to leave, but didn’t get too far before Justin grabbed her other hand. She turned and looked at him with a puzzled look.
"Wait. What floor and room?" Justin asked. "It’s a big hotel you know."
Alicia walked off. Justin settled into his seat and looked his untouched coffee. He slid is hand around it and began to spit it slowly.
"Can I sit with you?" a deep voice said from behind him.
Justin turned to see his bodyguard standing behind him.
"Oh, yeah. Go ahead, Mike," Justin said.
Mike sat down where Alicia had been and picked up the paper she had been reading.
"So, who was that lovely young lady?" Mike asked.
"Alicia Drannon. I went to school with her for a time," Justin said.
Mike shook his head. "So, do you fancy her?"
"Yeah, I like her. To be honest, I always have. It was just I had other things on my mind," Justin said with a grin.
"Ah, like a mouse that wears red pants?" Mike asked.
Justin laughed. "Yeah, you could say that."

Chapter Three

        Justin walked up to the desk to ring the bell. He glanced around the lobby and noticed it was almost empty.
        "May I help you?" asked a French accent.
        A young man stood there looking at him with a suspicious look.
        "Um, may I have the room number of Alicia Drannon?" Justin asked.
        The man raised an eyebrow. Justin shifted his weight from foot to foot.
         "I would like to see her and I was told she was here."
"Name?"
"Alicia Drannon."
The guy rolled his eyes. "No, you are not Alicia Drannon.
"Oh," Justin laughed nervously, "You mean my name. Um, Justin Timberlake."
The guy gave him another suspicious look. He then began flipping through a book. Justin drummed his fingers on the desk and looked around the lobby again.
"Justin Timberlake?"
"Yes. Wanna see my license?" Justin asked, digging in his pocket.
The guy looked at the license. He then looked at Justin again and sighed.
"4100, Mr. Timberlake."
"Thank you," Justin said, smiling and pretending to tip a hat at the guy. He headed over to the elevator. It opened and out popped Chris.
"Curly! What you been up to?" Chris asked.
"I had a cup of coffee."
"God, you are boring."
"Well, what did you do?" Justin challenged.
"I watched French TV and learned some French," Chris bragged.
"No way, man. You didn’t."
"I’ll show ya later, Fro-Boy," Chris said, walking off.
Justin hopped into the elevator and road up to the fourth floor. He got out started down the hall to room 4100. He bit his bottom lip as he knocked on the door. He didn’t know why he was nervous. He was lost in his own little world as the door was opened.
"Justin, earth to Justin. Come in Justin!" Alicia said, waving her hand in his face.
Justin looked up with a start. Alicia stood in front of him with her hair piled up on top of her head. He quickly put on his best smile.
"I’ve landed. Now what?" he asked playfully.
"No, no, no. You knocked. What do you want?"
"Well," Justin said, "I’ve come to hang out."
"You want to hang out with me?"
Justin looked around. The hall was still empty. He looked back at Alicia. She still had the shock look on her face as she looked at him.
"Well, Alicia, I don’t see anyone else here that I would want to hang out with," he pointed out. He then looked at her and put on his saddest puppy dog face. "Or is that you don’t want to hang out with me?"
Alicia grabbed his arm and pulled him into the room. "I’d love to."
Justin watched her sit down on the couch. She flipped her pink ended hair off her shoulder. Justin walked sat down next to her.
"So, Justin, what do you want to do?"
"Talk. I want more history on you," Justin said.
"I told you all of it. I had no life. I begged my parents to send me come to Paris by myself," Alicia said, shifting back and forth.
"Oh, Alicia, you came here alone? No friends?" Justin asked.
"Life is not like it is on TV, Justin."
Justin said nothing. They sat in silence for a while.
"And, I still have no social life," Alicia said, shacking her head.
"Maybe it’s your pink ends?" Justin asked, flicking one of them with a finger.
Alicia grabbed her hair and looked at him with a possessive look.
"I like my pink ends. They make me different. I was going to go blonde, like someone I know," Alicia said, pointing at Justin’s head.
"Well, I like my blonde ends," Justin laughed. Alicia just shook her head at him. Justin looked at the ground. He had to think of something else to say. "Hey, you want a social life?"
Alicia’s head whipped around to look at him. "What?"
"Yeah. You wanna meet the other guys?" Justin offered.
"I don’t know," Alicia said, hanging her head. "I’ll get all shy."
"You know Lance. You talked to him on the flight. You weren’t shy around him," Justin pointed out.
"He was just so nice. It was hard to be shy around him. But what about the red haired guy and the other one? Oh, then there’s that other one who was asleep the whole time," Alicia said, wringing her hands in her lap.
"You and Joey can compare hair color," Justin said, pulling her hands out of her lap so she would stop wringing them. "And JC won’t bit you, but I don’t know about Chris. Let’s go."
"Justin!" Alicia whined.
Justin pulled her to the door and opened it. Alicia freed her hand and took a few steps back into the room.
"Why don’t we…"
Justin shook his head. He had to get Alicia out of the room. He walked over and stood in front of her. He couldn’t just drag her out. He had to think. Then he remembered. Alicia was ticklish.
"If I make you laugh you have to come with me," Justin said.
"You can’t make me laugh so easily," she said, tightening her face into a stone faced glare.
"Deal?"
"Um, yeah."
Justin reached out and began tickling her sides. Alicia crunched over in laughter. Justin got under her and tossed her over his shoulder to walk out of the room.
"You cheated," she pouted.
"How did I cheat?" Justin challenged.
"I thought you were going to tell me a joke."
Justin smiled and shook his head. They rode the elevator up. The doors opened and Justin pushed her out. She managed to get behind him so he dragged her down to the room with the most noise coming out of it. He knocked on the door. JC pulled it open.
"I have someone here who needs a social life," Justin proclaimed.
"Bounce, we have no social life," replied JC, as he stepped aside to let them come inside.
"Dude, I know. That’s why we should all hang out," Justin said, pushing Alicia into the room. "She’s a little shy."
Joey sat up and looked at her. Lance turned around. JC shut the door.
"We won’t bit. We sent Chris out to get us some food," JC said, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Alicia!" Lance said, jumping up.
"Chris is the one that bits," Joey said at the same time.
Lance came over to shake Alicia’s hand. "I didn’t know you were staying in the same hotel!"
For the first time since Justin had carted her out of her room she seemed to relax. That great smile grew across her face as she looked at Lance then took a short glance at Justin.
"I didn’t think of it," Alicia said.
"Oh, you’re that girl from the plane that Chris thought was hot!" Joey said, jumping up. "How did you meet Justin? He can’t talk to pretty women, that’s my job."
Alicia laughed. "Now, after that remark is Justin going to beat you up?"
"No," Justin quickly said.
They all laughed at him. Alicia put a serious look on her face.
"I guess I will," she said matter-of-factly.
Joey looked confused. Alicia jumped on him. Joey lost his balanced and they both m tumbled to the floor.
"Floor fight!" Chris yelled, entering the room.
Soon everyone was floor wrestling. Chris suddenly yelled for everyone to stop.
"There’s a girl in here," Chris said.
Alicia turned a really nice shade of red when everyone looked at her.
"We knew that," Justin said quickly. He tossed an arm around Alicia’s shoulder and looked at the side of her face. She has a really nice profile, he thought.
"well, okay" Chris said. "I’m Chris."
"Alicia," Alicia squeaked out.
Justin was still looking at her as he assured, "Now don’t go getting all shy now. He’s just Chris."
"Ha! Just Chris? I’m King Chris!" Chris said, pounding himself in the chest.
"King of what? The Goofy’s?" Lance asked.
"No, Albino boy. I’m king of the world," Chris said, acting like Leonardo from Titanic.
JC shook his head. "What am I gonna do with all you fools?"
"Sell them to a circus and made a lot of money. A lot of girl would pay to see them," Alicia suggested. Justin removed his arm, surprised at her fast comeback.
"Don’t we do that at every concert?" Lance asked.
"WHAT? How insulting!" Justin exclaimed. "It’s not a circus and I’m not a fool."
"I haven’t said anything in a while," Joey suddenly said. They all turned to look at him. "What?"
"Are you going to say anything?" Chris asked.
"I did," Joey said.
Alicia’s eyes narrowed and she took a step closer to him. Joey turned around to run, but she just jumped on his back. Justin ran over to pull her off. Soon everyone was on the ground trying to pry her off of Joey. Justin finally managed to pull her off. He carried her over to the bed and flung them both on to the bed.
"Maybe I should say some more stupid things more often," Justin said quietly to her as the other guys slowly picked themselves off the ground.
Alicia sighed and put her head in his lap. "Maybe you should."
Justin was going to pick her head up when he saw Lance and JC shacking their head no. Justin gave him his "WHAT" look. All four of them all gave him a sing that she was asleep. Justin looked down to see it was true.
"Now what?" Justin asked.
"Leave her. We’ll bring your toothbrush," JC said, dragging Lance out with him.
Chris looked at the bed and looked like he was about to cry. "They look so cute, but I got no bed!"
"Have mine," Justin said, leaning back.
"But JC is in there!" Chris whined, gathering his stuff.
"I don’t snore," JC said, handing Justin his toothbrush and a cup.
"Yeah, but you sleep though the alarm," Chris said, walking out the door.
Justin handed the cup back to JC.
"Fine, Joey, go with Chris. I’ll stay here."
Joey rolled his eyes, gathered his stuff and followed Chris out. Lance brought JC’s stuff in and JC sat down on the other bed.
"Justin?"
"Huh?" Justin said, opening his eyes.
"What’s up with this?" JC asked, pointing at Alicia.
"She’s my friend."
"You hadn’t seen you in years then you’re all buddy-buddy?"
"Well, I don’t know? I just can’t get her out of my head," Justin confessed. He looked down at her dark head on his lap. JC rolled his eyes and fell over in the bed. Justin ran his hand through Alicia’s hair and studied her pink ends. They were sure strange.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Justin opened his eyes. JC was in a ball over on the other bed wrapped up in all the sheets. The alarm was going off on full volume. Justin looked down. Alicia was still asleep in his lap. Justin picked her head up and moved it. His legs were asleep. Alicia rolled over. He turned off the alarm and poked JC.
"JC, get up, man. It’s 8:30. We gotta a sound check at 10. Come on," Justin moaned, trying to roll JC over.
Alicia sat up on the bed pulling her long hair into a ponytail.
"You gotta jump them. That’s how I get my brother up," Alicia said.
Justin looked back over at JC. He shrugged and then jumped on him.
"JC! JC! It’s time to get up! It’s time to get up this morning! Get your toast and head! To the limo and then I will beat you in the head!" Justin sang whacking JC with a pillow.
"AHHHH!!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!!!!!" JC yelled, sitting up.
"I'm beating you into this world," Justin said, rolling off of him.
"I gotta go. I'll see around, maybe," Alicia said, walking to the door.
"Maybe? Why don't you come to the sound check with us?" Justin suggested, running to stand in front of the door.
Alicia scrunched up her nose. "Justin, I’d be in the way."
Justin tilted his head and gave her his best puppy dog eyes.
"Justin, I’ve got plans," Alicia said.
"Do you?" Justin asked.
Alicia didn’t say anything. She just looked and the ground and turned red. Justin put an arm around her. He led her back over to the bed and set her down. He then headed into the bathroom.
"Why did you let him do that?" he heard JC ask her.
Chapter Four
Justin watched a bird fly over head. They had been in Paris for a week. The tour bus was waiting down below him. The guys were moving their stuff to it. Alicia would be in Paris for the rest of the month before heading back home.
"Alicia?" Justin asked, turning around. He saw her sitting in an overstuffed chair in his room working on a crossword puzzle. Her reading glasses were at the tip of her nose. God, she is cute in those. Even if they do look like old lady glasses.
"What?" Alicia asked, not even looking up.
"Why don’t you come with us?"
Alicia’s head shot up, the pink ends flipping off her shoulders. "What?"
"You heard me. What are you gonna do after I’m gone, huh?"
"I don’t know. Sightsee?" she asked.
Justin gave her a look.

"Okay, I guess you didn’t like that answer," Alicia said. She teased up and looked back at the paper in her lap.
Justin furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Well?"
"I…um… go back to school?" she asked. She seemed really unsure of herself, like she was hiding something.
"School’s in August. You can go home in time for school. Call your parents. Tell ‘em you’re gonna travel Europe with an old friend," Justin suggested.
"Yeah, my parents," Alicia said. Her head sank lower as she uttered the words. Justin look a step closer to her and knelt down next to her.
"Would they say no?" he asked. He was really confused.
"No, no, what about the other guys? Would they want me along. You know, I’d get in the way. And it wouldn’t look good. One girl and all guys? In one bus?"
"Why do you always think you’re in the way?" Justin asked. She seemed to use that excuse a lot. "Alicia, you are never in the way. They guys love you as much as I do."
Alicia was quiet.
"There’s other females along for the ride. Our hair and make up and our photographer are all girls," Justin said. Look at me. Just look at me, he thought.
"Justin," Alicia said in a shaky voice. "Justin…"
She trailed off and began shaking her head. Justin brushed her hair back behind her ear and looked into her face. Tears were streaming down her face.
"Alicia, what is it?" Justin asked. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her head in his chest. Justin wrapped his arms around her tightly.
"She…she … cut me off. My mom died shortly after you left town and he remarried," Alicia cried. "My step-mom didn’t like me. Wasn’t out going enough for her. She talked him into making me pay my way through high school. Then he died. He was found dead. My step-mom got all the money. She cut me off."
Justin was shocked. He held her tighter.
"I’ve got no money. I can’t pay for college any more," she said and pulled out of his grip. She whipped her face and looked him with very sad eyes. "I used the last of my money and came here. I didn’t know where else to go. All my relatives are dead."
Justin put his hand on her cheek. "Honey, you can stay with me. I bet I can find you some sort of job."
Alicia closed her eyes. "Justin, you don’t understand. I don’t want you to feel sorry for me."
"Alicia, I’m not doing this out of pity. Even if you hadn’t told me this, I would still want you to come with me."
Alicia hugged him again. She released him and stood up. "What will the guys say?"
"I dunno. Whoopee?" Justin asked. He watched her get her panicked look on her face. "Just wait here. I’ll go see what they all think. They love you, remember that."
Justin sat her back down. He rushed down the hall and caught JC and he toted his last bag out of the room.
"JC! What if Alicia came along?"
"Where?"
"The tour."
"But, doesn’t she have to go back to school?"
"No."
"Why not?" JC asked.
"JC, she’s got no money. It’s a long story. I’ll get her to tell everyone when she’s ready. Okay?"

"Justin, do you have any idea what you are doing?" JC called as Justin ran down the hall.

New Part as of 9/00
~*~*~*~*~
Justin watched Alicia host her only bag into the luggage area of the bus. He had convinced everyone that Alicia could come along. He watched her closely. He couldn’t get her out of his head. Her face filled his dreams. And when she told him what her step mom had done to her, he had to try with all his might not to call that woman up and eat her out. He couldn’t imagine how anyone could possible not like this wonderful girl. He still had to get her all the way out of her shell.
"Alicia," Justin started, walking up behind her. "You don’t look happy to be coming with me."
Alicia just looked down at the ground. "It’s just, um, that no one had ever shown that much, um…"
"Compassion?" Justin suggested.
"Yeah. Are you sure the guys are okay with this?" Alicia asked.
"Duh! Just as long at you don’t tackle me," Joey said. "Everyone in!"
He took Alicia’s hand and dragged her into the bus. Justin smiled to himself. He followed them in. JC looked up as they came in.
"Hey, Alicia," JC said.
"Hey. Joey! What are you doing with that bag!" Alicia yelled. She ran over to Joey and took the black shoulder bag. She then opened up to reveal a laptop computer. "Good you didn’t break it. It was the last thing that I have."
"What’s on it that’s so special?" Justin questioned.
"Um, my stories."
"You write!" Justin asked.
Alicia just nodded.
"That’s so cool! Can I read them some time?" Justin asked.
"I don’t know."
"Ah, come on. I bet I’d love them!"
Alicia just looked at the laptop.
"Please?" Justin pleaded. Alicia just looked at the laptop. She seemed to be thinking something over. "Please?"
"They aren’t very good. They would just bore you," Alicia told him quickly and put the laptop back into the bag.
"Come one, just one little read?" Joey asked.
Alicia looked at Joey. "Great."
"What? You’ll let us read them?" Lance inquired, coming into the room.
Alicia looked at her pink ends carefully. Justin watched her closely. He wished he could jump into her head and see what she was thinking about. Was she going to let him read them? Or was she going to keep her works herself? Justin took a step closer to her.
"Well, tell us what one is about?" Justin suggested.
Alicia sat down on one of the benches in the bus and looked at the laptop. Justin wished he had been that laptop. She was looking at it more than she was looking at him.
Wait a minute, Timberlake? Are you jealous of a laptop? Justin thought to himself. He shook his curls and sat down next to Alicia.
"What do you say Pinky?" Justin questioned, playing with one of the pink ends.
"We need something to do on those long rides to the places," Joey said as the bus jerked forward.
"What are we talking about?" Chris asked, coming into the room.
"Alicia writes," JC said.
"She should write about us. We’re funny guys," Chris said.
"Well, do something funny, then I’ll write about it," Alicia mused, jerking her head up from the laptop.
"Well, I cannot do anything funny when I’m told to," Chris said. "Everyone knows that!"
Chris turned to leave the room. He suddenly fell forward into Joey. Joey screamed as he pushed Chris off of him.
"Can’t you walk?" Chris asked.
"You’re the one who fell!"
"No way! You fell into me!" Chris said. No one was laughing. Chris turned to them and asked, "What? I was trying to be funny."
"You proved your point, Chris. You’re really not that funny when you try," Alicia said with a smiled.
Justin looked back at the laptop. "So what about the synopsis of those stories?"
"Why are you being so persistent?" Alicia asked, opening the laptop. She was giving in. "What one do you want to hear about?"
Justin peered over her shoulder to see the titles. The one called When Loudmouth Meets a Quiet One caught his eye. He pointed out that one to Alicia.
"That one is about Ray and Danielle. Ray’s life is crumbling before his eyes. Danielle is a quiet girl who keeps to herself. Her life is turned upside down when Ray enters her life."
Justin nodded head.
"Got any ones with cute girls and me?" Joey asked.
Alicia got a sparkle in her eyes and looked at Joey and said, "Of course. It’s called When the Female Population When Wacko. It’s about the female race kills all the males and only Joey is left. However, they soon realize that they miss all the other males. Joey is driving them nuts. Do you know what they do?"
Justin took a look at Joey. He seemed really interested, though Alicia was making this up off the top of her head.
"What?"
"They all jump off a cliff, leaving Joey alone on Earth. Do you know what Joey does?"
Joey shook his head.
"He goes finds Lance’s grave and asks him what to do," Alicia said. This got Lance’s attention.
"What do I tell him?" Lance asked.
"To follow them."
"Do I do it?" Joey asked.
"Duh! You follow all those women off the cliff."
"So everyone is dead?" Chris asked. "What kind of story is that?"
"One that isn’t over. In heaven everyone is there. Males and females. Except Joey."
"Why no Joey?" Joey asked.
"Because. He never made it over the cliff. The females deiced they need a Joey free world," Justin said.
"Hey, how do you know?"
"Because he’s smart. Joey, am I going to have to tackle you again?" Alicia asked with an angelic voice.
"No, I think I’ll stay on my ledge on the cliff."
*~*~*~*~*~